Lately, high profile suicides have blanketed the news – the shocking deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain make people wonder, how can someone who appears to have everything do this kind of thing? Why would they leave their family in tatters, especially impacting their young children left behind? The JD Foundation in Abbot, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this October, is working to address this each and every day.

The Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society’s Observer Building Museum will be opening for the season on the day of the 2018 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday June 23. This year the museum have a new display about East Dover.

The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department, Center Theatre and the Commons at Central Hall have announced an opportunity for the public to own one of a limited edition set of the new Dover-Foxcroft Police patches. The patches, designed by high school and middle school students, will be framed by Green Door Gallery and will be the first opportunity for the member of the public to own one of the new patches.

The Shaw Public Library has been selected by the Maine Humanities Council to offer “Let’s Talk About It,” a free reading and discussion group with copies of the books available through the library. This program is provided by the Maine Humanities Council’s Maine Center for the Book in cooperation with the Maine State Library.

Summer is in the air … and the annual Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Auction is right around the corner. The auction will be held Thursday, July 26 to Sunday, July 29 at the Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds with all the old traditions and exciting events attendees look forward to each year.

The Center Theatre hosted the first preliminary event for the Central Maine Talent Search on June 2. By the end of the evening, the three-judge panel and the 120-person audience had chosen Aidan Manning and Parker Kelley as the winners of the event. Both will continue on to the grand finale Sept. 15 where they will be eligible to win $500 and other prizes.

Allen Monroe from the Milo Historical Society spoke about the early history of Milo and presented a brief slide show at the May meeting of the Milo Garden Club. On Tuesday, June 12, planning for the August club fair will take place at Three Rivers Kiwanis Headquarters at noon.

June marks a new chapter for Dover-Foxcroft’s 120-year-old Thompson Free Library. Director Helen Fogler retired after 21 years and has passed the torch to Orono native Greta Schroeder, who has worked in various libraries, most recently, McArthur in Biddeford and has a MS degree in Library and Information Science.

The Maine Whoopie Pie Festival organizers have announced they expect bakers to bring 40,000 whoopie pies to Dover-Foxcroft for the 2018 Maine Whoopie Pie Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 23.

The Milo Events Committee invites the public to join in a day of fun and festivities on Saturday, June 2. The theme this year is “Honoring our Hometown First Responders (Fire, Police, EMS & the Military).”

The Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society held its annual meeting on May 15 at the Parish House Museum.

Members of Sebec Village Associates, or the Sebec Reading Room as they are informally called, met on Friday, May 11 to discuss the upcoming year. Members present lamented a bit on the list of repairs that are needed to maintain the quaint community building where they hold activities all year for the lakeside village and surrounding townspeople. Even though many repairs have been done in the past years, the list of building repairs is still long.

Visitors young and old were able to learn about the life of Anne Frank and think about how lessons from Europe during World War II can be applied today as the “Anne Frank: A History for Today” traveling exhibit was on display at The Commons at Central Hall from May 2-11.

Ken and Jane Brooks along with Joe and Nel Kennedy (Brooks and Kennedy) play their classic country at the Wayside Theatre at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 26.

A near-capacity crowd filled the Center Theatre on May 4 for opening night of “Disney's Lion King Jr.” They were treated to a local all-youth cast performance that brought them to their feet in a standing ovation. The play, directed by Ben Layman with vocal direction by Emily Allen, is a production of the Center Theatre and Slightly Off-Center Players.

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts announced that it will be hosting the first annual Central Maine Talent Search. The event, which will offer cash and other prizes totaling close to $2,000, will consist of three preliminary events in June, July and August and a grand finale in September. Entrants must be at least 10 years old, can perform any entertaining talent either by themselves or with two other people, and cannot have been paid more than $500 to perform their talent in the past year.

Saying goodbye is never easy. Endings tend to elicit a whole range of emotions. Whether it’s the last chapter of a book or the final episode of a television show, letting go of familiar characters takes a bit of time and adjustment. The month of May brings change and continuity to Dover-Foxcroft’s Thompson Free Library.

The Harold J. Crosby Community Band will be presenting its Carnival of Melody concert on at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 6 at the Dexter Town Hall. This annual event is a culmination of practices that began in January.